Background: In 1994 20 years after independence from Portugal the country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held. An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in 1998 created hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999.

Geographic coordinates: 12 00 N, 15 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 36,120 km²
Land: 28,000 km²
Water: 8,120 km²
Comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 724 km
Border countries: (2) Guinea 386 km; , Senegal 338 km

Coastline: 350 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain: mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m

Natural resources: fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use
Arable land: 11%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 38%
Forests and woodland: 38%
Other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 17 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Population: 1,234,555 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 2.31% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: 48.8% (1991 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Guinean (s)
Adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups: African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Languages: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42% (male 260,821; female 259,520)
15-64 years: 55% (male 322,607; female 356,513)
65 years and over: 3% (male 16,233; female 18,861) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.31% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 38.23 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 15.13 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 109.5 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 49.57 years
Male: 47.91 years
Female: 51.28 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 53.9%
Male: 67.1%
Female: 40.7% (1997 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau
Local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau
Local short form: Guine-Bissau
Former: Portuguese Guinea

Government type: republic, multiparty since mid-1991

Capital: Bissau

Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regioes, singular_regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali
Note: Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos

Independence: 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau; 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Constitution: 16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996

Legal system: NA

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Joao Bernardo VIEIRA (initially assumed power 14 November 1980 in a coup d'etat)
Head of government: Prime Minister Francisco FADUL (since NA November 1998); note_named in an agreement between President VIEIRA and a military-led junta which rebelled against the President FADUL's administration in June 1998
Cabinet: none; an interim National Unity Government was provided for in the agreement between President VIEIRA and the military junta and was scheduled be inaugurated in February 1999
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3 July and 7 August 1994 (next to be held NA July 1999); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature
Election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote_Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52%, Koumba YALLA 48%

Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years)
Elections: last held 3 July and 7 August 1994 (next to be held by NA)
Election results: percent of vote by party_PAIGC 46.0%, RGB-MB 19.2%, PRS 10.3%, UM 12.8%, FLING 2.5%, PCD 5.3%, PUSD 2.9%, FCG 0.2%, others 0.8%; seats by party_PAIGC 62, RGB 19, PRS 12, UM 6, FLING 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica, consists of 9 justices who are appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure, final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases; Regional Courts, one in each of nine regions, first court of appeals for sectoral court decisions, hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over $1,000; 24 Sectoral Courts, judges are not necessarily trained lawyers, hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases

International organization participation: ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Henrique Adriano DA SILVA
In the us chancery: Suite 519, 1511 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20,005
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 347-3,950
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 347-3,954
From the us: the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to President VIEIRA and military-led junta

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy overview: One of the 20 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Inflation dropped sharply in the first quarter of 1997. Membership in the WAMU (West African Monetary Union), begun in May 1997, was expected to support 5% annual growth and contribute to fiscal discipline. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources was not a near-term prospect.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,000 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 54%
Industry: 11%
Services: 35% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Industries: agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 480,000

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: 48.8% (1991 est.)

Budget: $NA

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $25.8 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: cashews 95%, fish, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber (1994)
Partners: Spain 35%, India 30%, Thailand 10%, Italy 10% (1995)

Imports: $63 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs, transport equipment, petroleum products, machinery and equipment (1994)
Partners: Portugal 29.2%, Thailand 8.4%, Netherlands 8.4%, US 7.5% (1996)

Debt external: $953 million (1996 est.)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1_566.65 (January 1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1_ 26,373 (1996), 18,073 (1995), 12,892 (1994)
Note: as of 2 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau has adopted the CFA franc as the national currency following its membership in BCEAO

Electricity
Production: 40 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 40 million kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Telephones: 13,120 (1997 est.)

Telephone system: small system
Domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications
International: NA

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $8 million (1996)
Percent of gdp: 2.8% (1996)

Airports: 30 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 27
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 22 (1998 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping

Merchant marine: none

Disputes international: none